Israeli Regularization Law Condemned as Aggression, Confiscation of Palestinian Land

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and many world leaders have condemned on Tuesday the law passed by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, that gave legal status to what had been considered by Israel so far as illegal settlement outposts.

Speaking at a press conference after meeting French President Francois Hollande in Paris, President Abbas deemed the regularization law that legalizes settlement activities as an aggression against the Palestinian people and said the Palestinian government is going to follow up on these Israeli acts with the international courts, reported the Palestinian news agency “WAFA.”

“This bill is a breach of international law,” said Abbas, before he called on France and the international community “to help us implement (UN) Security Council resolution 2334 before it is too late.”

The Security Council voted in December in favor of a resolution condemning Israeli settlements, which it considered illegal and an obstacle to peace.

The European Union, through the voice of High Representative & Vice-President Federica Mogherini, joined the international condemnation of the Israeli settlement law passed by the Knesset on Monday night, saying the “Regularization Law” “crosses a new and dangerous threshold by legalizing the seizure of Palestinian property rights and effectively authorizing the confiscation of privately owned Palestinian land in occupied territory.”

The law may provide for “legalizing” numerous settlements and outposts previously considered as illegal even under Israeli law, which would be contrary to previous commitments by Israeli governments and illegal under international law, said Federica Mogherini in a statement.

“In passing this new law, the Israeli parliament has legislated on the legal status of land within occupied territory, which is an issue that remains beyond its jurisdiction,” said the EU official, warning that if the law is implemented, it would “further entrench a one-state reality of unequal rights, perpetual occupation and conflict.”

The EU urges the Israeli leadership to refrain from implementing the law and to avoid measures that further raise tensions and endanger the prospects for a peaceful solution to the conflict, Mogherini said, renewing the EU commitment to a two-state solution in order to rebuild mutual trust and create conditions for direct and meaningful negotiations.

British Minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, on his part said, “It is of great concern that the bill paves the way for significant growth in settlements in the West Bank, threatening the viability of the two-state solution.”

The White House did not comment on the passing of the law, but Donald Trump’s officials said the issue would be discussed at next week’s meeting in Washington between Donald Trump and Netanyahu.

The Israeli attorney general Avichai Mandelblit has said the law is unconstitutional and it is likely to eventually be struck down by the Israeli Supreme Court.